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•
Carving
or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and
displaying them
•
Carving
or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with
neighbors or friends
•
Decorating
your apartment, house or living space
•
Having
a virtual Halloween costume contest
•
Having
a Halloween movie night with people you live with
•
Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with
your household members in or around your home rather than
going house to house
Reminder: If you may have COVID-19 or you may have been
exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate
in in-person Halloween festivities and should not give out
candy to trick-or-treaters.
Whether you have little ones at home, are deciding about
passing out candy or do not
normally participate in trick-or-treating, you are invited
to use some Halloween themes to plan fall meals this month.
Using the colors of orange, black and purple, mix up the fun
and add some tasty treats to your menu.
Making orange (and red) vegetables a regular part of your
diet will help reduce the risk of chronic disease, as well
as improve overall wellness. Orange and red vegetables are
full of vitamin A, that strengthens the immune system,
healthy skin and promotes vision in low light.
Vitamin C also promotes a healthy immune system. Orange and
red vegetables are also a good source of potassium which
helps regulate blood pressure.
The next time you’re at the store or farm market, look for
orange peppers, carrots, pumpkins and other winter squash.
Many of those vegetables can be prepared in many ways and
one easy way is to roast them in the oven. Add a little
olive oil and some herbs and roast them in the oven
alongside your favorite choice of meat.
Canned pumpkin is a convenient ingredient. Although these
suggestions might sound unusual, look up a recipe for
pumpkins in:
•
Smoothies
•
Pasta sauces
•
Fall fruit dip
Add some dark colors to complement the orange such as black
olives alongside a vegetable tray or as a garnish for cooked
dishes. Blackberries are a delicious fruit and can be served
alongside orange slices.
For fall snacks, not only are pumpkin seeds easily available
this time of year, sunflower seeds are also a crunchy treat.
Enjoy a handful of seeds as a snack or toss some on top of a
salad or winter squash soup. Chopped nuts (like peanuts,
almonds, walnuts) are a nice garnish on top of salads or
soups.
Sweet Treats: While candy (in moderation) can have a place
in celebrations, it is lacking in nutrients like fiber and
vitamins and minerals. Try some of these sweet treats:
•
Try popcorn, a whole grain, tossed with cinnamon and sugar.
•
Fresh fruit alongside a pumpkin dip
•
Baked apples or pears with cinnamon. For optional toppings,
add chopped nuts or some honey.
•
Warm
cider served with a cinnamon stick.
For a spooky presentation, fill clear, food grade gloves to
“serve” up some snacks. Fill them with dry cereal, nuts,
mini-pretzels, snack mix or popcorn for bony fingers.
It’s also time for the annual Live Healthy Live Well email
challenge from Ohio State University Extension. The six-week
email challenge is free to any adult – all you need is an
email address. This year’s theme: Take A Break! We
have been spending so much time with technology, worrying
about online school or staying healthy that it’s been hard
to make time for play, wellness, and celebrations. Join us
for the fall email challenge and explore how to take the
break you deserve. In mid-October, all participants will
receive a pre-challenge message. They will then receive
twice-weekly emails from October 19 to November 25, 2020.
Visit go.osu.edu/lucasfall20
to register or Patrice Powers-Barker, Extension Educator,
Family and Consumer Sciences, at
powers-barker.1@osu.edu.
Information for this article from the CDC and Eatright.org
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